Apple TV is putting Liev Schreiber and Stephen Graham at the center of a dark new mystery with “Nocturne,” a 10-episode thriller created by Rowan Joffé and adapted from Lars Kepler’s novels “Lazarus” and “The Sandman.”

The first two episodes will debut Oct. 30, followed by new installments every Friday. Critics were given seven episodes for review.

Schreiber stars as Jonah Lynn, a retired homicide detective who withdrew from the world after the deaths of his wife and daughter. His isolation ends when Michael Frost (Landon Valentin), a child believed to have been taken by serial killer Jurek Walter, suddenly returns after three years.

Michael vanished alongside his sister, Felicia (Abigail Donaghy), and investigators had concluded that both children were among Jurek’s victims. Michael’s reappearance challenges that assumption while raising a more disturbing possibility: Jurek may still be directing crimes from inside a psychiatric hospital.

A Killer Still in Control

“Nocturne” introduces Graham’s Jurek at Riverside Psychiatric Hospital in rural Pennsylvania, where he is kept in a stark cell beneath layers of concrete. His confinement has done little to limit his influence.

In the opening sequence, Jurek manipulates the man in the neighboring cell into fatally injuring himself. He then turns his attention to Karl (Rory Culkin), a quiet nurse whose vulnerabilities Jurek quickly identifies and exploits. Karl repeatedly ignores Riverside’s procedures without informing security, allowing the prisoner’s reach to extend beyond what his surroundings should permit.

Meanwhile, Fairhaven Police Chief Dave Ellison (Bill Camp) learns that Michael has been found and immediately contacts the FBI. Fairhaven is still recovering from the disappearances and deaths tied to Jurek, leaving Ellison alarmed by the prospect that the killer has an accomplice and remains operational from inside Riverside.

The case draws Jonah back into an investigation despite his no longer working for the police. He joins a task force led by Special Agent in Charge Alexandra Quinn (Poorna Jagannathan). The group also includes undercover specialist Saga Bauer (Zazie Beetz), who is Jonah’s goddaughter, and police detective Nathan (Gary Carr). Their objectives are to locate Felicia and identify whoever may be helping Jurek.

A Mystery Built on Partial Answers

The series withholds the broader shape of Jurek’s crimes, generally limiting the audience to what Jonah and the task force have uncovered. Because the investigators possess only fragments of the truth, each apparent breakthrough can redirect the story toward another threat or unexplained connection.

“Nocturne” also moves between past and present while shifting among multiple Pennsylvania locations. That structure keeps the case unstable, gradually revealing how Jurek’s actions affected Fairhaven without laying out his entire operation at once.

Episode 3, “Eyes on the Inside,” is a particularly unsettling chapter. It begins with a family attempting to escape and concludes with a troubling phone call to the FBI, using the events between those moments to intensify the sense of panic surrounding the case.

The hospital storyline adds another layer of unease. Riverside is portrayed as an overwhelmed institution where patients with a range of diagnoses and disorders are exposed to abuse. That environment also gives Jurek opportunities to prey on people around him, including Karl.

Some of the mechanics require a generous suspension of disbelief. Karl’s repeated violations of hospital protocol and Jonah’s ability to investigate despite having no current police position are among the conspicuous contrivances. Even so, the escalating revelations and shifting timelines keep the central mystery moving.

Performances Drive the Suspense

Schreiber anchors the story through Jonah’s grief and determination, playing a man willing to pursue answers without much concern for conventional limits. Beetz brings a separate emotional dimension to Saga, whose own damaged family history informs her willingness to place herself in danger to stop Jurek.

Camp, Jagannathan and Carr complete the core investigative group, while Chrissy Metz appears as Ida, the mother of Michael and Felicia. Their characters provide different perspectives on a community still dealing with the damage caused by Jurek’s crimes.

Graham, however, supplies the show’s most destabilizing presence. His Jurek is calculating, observant and capable of manipulating others even while isolated. Rather than relying only on physical access or overt threats, the character studies insecurities and turns them into tools, making his influence the force holding the mystery together.

ShowBiz Take

“Nocturne” matters less for reinventing the serial-killer thriller than for the way it distributes power between its two central figures. Jonah has the investigative experience but only pieces of the truth; Jurek is physically confined yet appears able to keep moving people around him like pieces on a board.

That imbalance gives Schreiber and Graham distinct but connected roles. Schreiber carries the emotional weight of a grieving investigator pulled back into a case, while Graham creates the danger that drives every new discovery. Supported by Beetz and the wider ensemble, their confrontation gives Apple TV’s twist-heavy drama its strongest hook.

What Happens Next?

The search for Felicia, the identity of Jurek’s possible accomplice and the full extent of his crimes remain at the center of the unfolding story. Apple TV will premiere the first two episodes of “Nocturne” on Oct. 30, with the remaining episodes released weekly on Fridays.